Industrial Gas Accreditation Scheme I-GAS

People in factories often think they are exempt from the ‘Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998’ (GSIUR) but they are wrong, the paragraph in blue is key to helping people understand compliance with the regulations.

Guidance to Regulation 3 of the GSIUR states:

“Gas work for those working at premises that fall outside the scope of the Regulations should only be undertaken by a person who has successfully completed an appropriate full training course followed by an assessment of competence”.

The CEA’s Industrial Gas Operations Accreditation Scheme (I-GAS) was officially launched in March 2017 and has been created to fill this gap, it was created in collaboration with industrial gas training providers/centers, manufacturers of combustion equipment, and employers.

It is the only formal training and accreditation scheme currently available that is specifically designed for maintenance staff and technicians working with gas in industrial premises.

BG03 - Blowdown Systems

Guidance for Industrial Steam Boilers

Blowdown Systems, Guidance for Industrial Steam Boilers (Ref:BG03) is a guidance document intended to provide advice to designers, specifiers, manufacturers, installers and those responsible for the management and operation of steam plant as well as Competent Persons (CP). It is applicable to both new and existing installations of steam boilers and addresses the following issues:

The safe discharge of blowdown from boilers;

The safe use and operation of blowdown vessels;

The safe use and operation of blowdown pits;

Proper maintenance and inspection of blowdown vessels and pits including requirements for regular inspection by a Competent Person in accordance with the Written Sheme of Examination (WSE)

Aggregate Industries' Colemans Quarry site has become the first asphalt plant in the UK to make the switch to LNG, curring both costs and carbon emissions with the help of Calor.

Based in north Somerset, the plant has been supplying the construction industry with building material for more than 60 years. It uses large quantities of gas to heat and dry the 250,000 tonnes of asphalt produced each year, and as the site is active 24/7, maintaining a constant, reliable supply of fuel plays a vital role in hitting production targets and meeting customer demand.

Business and environment report: Environmental outlook for the combustion sector

The Environment Agency regulates a wide range of activities that affect the environment, people and the economy in England, from large industries to small companies and individuals. For our country to prosper we need to protect people and the environment, as well as support our industries to grow and innovate. As a regulator, we work to protect public health, improve air, land and water quality, and apply the environmental standards and regulation within which industry can operate.

Businesses we regulate can expect us to be proportionate, efficient, and easy to interact with. In return, we expect businesses to take their share of responsibility, take action to reduce their impact on the environment, and fully comply with their legal requirements.

This assessment sets out the progress made by the combustion (power) sector of industry working with us to achieve these aims, and we would like to thank Energy UK, tech UK, the Combustion Engineering Association and the UK Quality Ash Association for their valuable input. It presents an overview of sector performance, impacts on the environment and a forward look to the challenges, risks and opportunities that the future presents.

Do you use gas fired equipment in your factory or on your site?

“I-GAS” A qualification for maintenance personnel and gas fitters working in industry to demonstrate competence.

Many people in industry are under the impression that the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 do not apply to them or their employees within their factory premises. Unfortunately, this assumption is wrong and there is a clear requirement to provide suitable training and assessment for anybody working on gas equipment in industry no matter what equipment they are working on. The statement below is an extract from the regulations.

“Gas work for those working at premises that fall outside the scope of the Regulations should only be undertaken by a person who has successfully completed an appropriate full training course followed by assessment of competence”.

Why do we need I-GAS?

Blue Flame Associates said “For many years the need to ensure that any gas operative that we employ are Gas Safe Registered and previously CORGI Registered has been accepted by most users. And it has been the general belief that by using Gas Safe Registered operatives, we can be assured that the operative has undertaken independent competence assessments and will be safe to work on our installation, however, this is generally true for domestic and commercial installations, but for industry this has always been a contentious and confusing issue.

BG04 in BS5410-2 Code of Practice for liquid fuel firing Part 2

Installations providing space heating, hot water and steam supply services to non-domestic buildings and para 6.3.3.1 Water treatment for industrial boilers contains the following statement:

“Feed water for steam boilers should be pre-treated to ensure that it meets the quality limits set by the boiler manufacturer. In order to protect the boiler, the quality of the boiler feed water should be subject to continuous monitoring and control to ensure it remains within the limits specified by the boiler manufacturer. Advice should be obtained from a water treatment specialist which should be followed at all times.

Scotlands' Micro Employer of the Year

Highland company Boiler and Valve Engineering was named as Scotland’s Micro Employer of the Year at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards 2018. The specialist engineering firm recruited two apprentices in one year because of its belief in the value they bring to the business. Managing Director Andrew Macdonald believes apprentices bring energy and enthusiasm that can only benefit his business, which provides maintenance services for major distilleries and public sector organisations across Scotland.

Nairn-based Boiler and Valve Engineering Ltd has been named Micro Employer of the Year at the 2017 Scottish Apprenticeship Awards.

The specialist engineering firm has recruited two engineering apprentices to its five-strong workforce since forming 18 months ago and both are studying towards a qualification at Inverness College UHI as part of its modern apprenticeship programme.

Second year apprentice Kenneth Murdoch has been with the firm since the outset and attends Inverness College UHI one day per week, studying for an HNC in Engineering Systems.

Connor Brown is a first-year apprentice who joined the firm this year. He attends Inverness College UHI two days per week and is studying towards an SVQ2 in Performing Engineering Operations.

Boiler and Valve Engineering Ltd, which specialises in industrial steam and hot water boilers for major distilleries and public-sector organisations, was nominated by the university in recognition of its strong commitment to the apprenticeship scheme and the belief in the value they bring to a company.

The awards took place at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery on Thursday 16th November.

Energy Efficiency Award - JBC

Prestigious Award for Energy Efficiency won by JBC!

JBC are proud to announce that they are the winners in the prestigious ‘Motion ControlIndustry Awards’ in the Environmental & Energy Efficiency Award Category with their Oilon burners and Ecosafeelectronic digital control system.

There was some stiff competition as JBC was up against strong finalists such BOGE high speed turbo compressors, direct air and pipework compressor systems and X-Design Pheu-Saver compressed air recycling.

Numerous case studies, product information and testimonials had to be submitted to the judging panel, along with a strong evidence criteria and valid reasons to be considered in order to qualify as finalists.

JBC scored highly in this category, showing substantial savings and efficiency in each case, as well as its excellent customer service levels.

The winners were announced at the Plant & Asset ManagementExhibition at the NEC on10th April and was presented to Pete Nicholls of JBC and Kari Palo of Oilon.

For information on how we can save you energy and money email info@jbcmail.co.uk or visit our website www.jbcindserv.co.uk.

Energy Losses - Flue Gas Losses

The fact is the number one area of energy loss is the stack. Flue gases leaving the chimney above ambient temperature waste huge amounts of energy. You don’t have to try hard to get a feeling for the scale of problem facing the user.

In every household there’s a hair dryer, usually rated at around 1.5 kW, producing a warm gentle breeze which adds up to 12,000kWh when run for 8,000hrs. This is miniscule when compared to the hot exhaust gases being discharged from the average industrial chimney. In comparison, the hair dryer hardly produces sufficient output to scare off a cabbage white butterfly from your prize runner beans!

Anyone standing near the top of a stack, or even at ground level, when the plant is operational, cannot fail to appreciate just how much energy is contained in the huge volume of hot air racing through the flue and into the atmosphere, thus costing the operator a small fortune.

Flue gases are a fact of life and the reasons for excessive temperatures are varied but much of the heat contained within them can be harnessed by a variety of different methods.

These will be dealt with in later bulletins but suffice to say there are enormous savings to be made in this area.

Quick Step Boilerhouse Efficiency Guide

Go greener and boost the efficiency of your boilerhouse with Spirax Sarco’s new quick step guide

In the current economic and political environment, businesses are under increasing pressure to save on fuel costs and reduce their carbon footprint. Spirax Sarco has launched a new guide that will show you how to increase efficiency and productivity whilst raising your company’s environmental profile.

In this guide, author and boilerhouse specialist Chris Coleman talks about five key measures which can help you lower energy consumption, reduce maintenance and carbon emissions, promote cleaner steam and ultimately lower your bottom line.

Learn the benefits of the magic five:

Reverse osmosis

TDS controls

Flash steam recovery

Exhaust gas heat recovery

Steam conditioning

Click Here to learn more about how these five key measures can help you save money and help the environment.